Three UTPB students to do semester study in Washington

Published 7:00 pm, Monday, August 31, 2009

ODESSA — Three University of Texas of the Permian Basin students — Kelly Combs, Gaven Norris and Josh Zuniga — head to Washington, D.C., today for a semester of study through the Archer Center.

The Bill Archer Fellowship was established by the University of Texas System in conjunction with former U.S. Rep. Bill Archer, D-Texas, as a way to bring highly motivated and accomplished students to Washington to participate in varied internships and take part in classes focusing on policy, economics and persuasion, the center's Web site said.

Students from the program have worked at the United Nations Information Centre, State Department, many offices within the White House and on the Hill, with federal agencies, and with non-profit organizations, the site said.

"There have only been two Archer fellows from UTPB since 2001, so it's really great to get all three of us," Combs said, adding he and his peers will be among 30 fellows from all nine UT schools. "For the size of our school compared to the others, this is a pretty big accomplishment."

"We call ourselves the Archer Amigos," Norris joked. "… We are blessed to be in the position we are. We've very blessed to have this opportunity."

Professor Carol Traut, the Archer Center representative on campus, encouraged them to apply. The program lasts from Sept. 1-Dec. 19. Although UTPB helped out some, the students had to do a lot of fundraising. The UT System rented two side-by-side rowhouses on Constitution Avenue near Capitol Hill for the students to stay in.

Each student will have a mentor who lives and works in Washington.

Along with taking courses on Monday, Wednesday and weekends, Combs said they will log 32 hours of an internship per week to earn their college credit.

Classes will include policymaking process, offering an insider's view of how policy is created; what goes on with the chiefs of staff; advocacy in applied settings - how to lobby on behalf of yourself and navigate the professional world; and "Beyond Congress and the White House: Where Power Really Lies in Washington, D.C."

Each student was advised to apply to 10-12 different places so they would be sure to get a spot at an organization.

Zuniga, who will graduate in December, said he will be working for China Aid, whose mission is to expose persecution of Christian Chinese people. He plans to attend seminary after he graduates and marry fiance Kathleen Sanchez of San Angelo.

Norris, who graduates in the spring, will intern at the legal headquarters of the NAACP. He plans to attend law school.

Combs, who will graduate in December, will work for U.S. Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas. He said he's interested in Hutchison's race for governor against incumbent Rick Perry and hopes to get a first-hand view of how government works.

Combs said he hopes to go into the foreign service, and next year, he has a Rotary scholarship to study for his master's in business administration in Morocco.

The first week will be spent getting to know the city and meeting with their mentors. "They're not just going to throw us in there with the wolves," Combs said.